Smoke alarm devices have been developed to alert the occupants of rooms and buildings to take emergency action in the earliest stages of a fire. It is generally recommended by fire safety experts that a building in which a developing fire is suspected be immediately evacuated in a orderly manner. In the daytime, there is generally no problem. However, if the occupants of a building are aroused from sleep by an alarm from a smoke detector, there is likely to be confusion and panic in attempting to escape from the building. Further, injuries from obstacles unseen in the darkness are a possibility as the occupants move about in attempting to find light switches and evacuate the building. At least one nationally advertised smoke alarm device includes a lamp thereon which illuminates when the alarm is triggered. However, since placement of a smoke alarm device is governed by the flow of air currents in an arrangement of rooms, it is possible that a light provided by such a device would not be provided in a location which would be useful to a just awakened occupant. In addition, since the device is battery operated, the intensity and duration of illumination would depend upon the condition of the battery at the time that the device is triggered.
There are other types of sound signals for which the illumination of a lamp, particularly at night, might be desirable. These may include moisture alarms associated with appliances or other equipment as in basements, freeze alarms to warn citrus growers for example, of possibly damaging low temperatures, burglar alarms in some circumstances, and even telephones and alarm clocks. In the case of burglar alarms, particularly the less expensive systems, it might be desirable to cause lamps to be lit in response to the triggering of such an alarm to confuse or frighten a burlar, particularly in an unoccupied home.
In the case of persons having impaired hearing, audible alarms might not be loud enough to alert a person with severe hearing loss, particularly when such a person is asleep. A room lamp which illuminates in response to an audible alarm, particularly, a lamp which flashes might more reliably awaken a hearing impaired person.
Of the sound activated lamps heretofore known, most are specialized lamps rather than the general purpose lamps found in the living rooms and bedrooms of homes which are referred to herein as table lamps. At least one known lamp is constructed for use as a table lamp; however, this particular lamp has the control circuitry built therein. Such a specialty lamp would tend to be more expensive than generally available lamps and would not likely be available in a sufficient variety of styles to suit potential lamp buyers who are often particular about the coordination of styles in the decor of their rooms. Another arrangement provides a module which plugs into an electrical outlet and includes a socket to receive the plug of any lamp. This solves the lamp style problem but adds a control box which some might find objectionable.